And So It Happens
by This Pen Name Is Taken
Summary: After all, if life is perpetually boring, then it wouldn't be much of a life, would it? I wouldn't be able to tolerate that. Even if nothing happened, I'd make stuff happen. [Eventual shounen ai]
1. Prologue

**Title:** And So It Happens

**Chapter:** 1/4(Prologue)

**Author's notes:** (This will be a somewhat long but necessary, I assure you, note) I implore you, dear readers, to bear with the bad prologue. It is my hope that the later parts will be better written. I can also promise that this will be a relatively long fic. This will also end up a Tensaishipping fic (DaigoxYuuki or Steven/Ruby) with Championshipping (WataruxSatoshi or Lance/Ash).

This fic will be written, technically, in an AU setting. The world is still the same (based off the games) but because I could not decide which canon to follow, I mashed the game canon, special manga canon and animecanon together. First piece of evidence, of course, lies in the fact that Championshipping is only visible in the anime. In the game, interaction is limited to the few scipted lines, while in the special manga, Wataru has never actually met Red (or, if you prefer, Ash). This can also be noted in the choice of names, I have actually chosen to use the Japanese names out of personal preference. In the case of Wataru and Satoshi, this is because these names are used in the anime. Along the way, there will be people popping up whose identities should be guessable from context and description. However, just in case, I will provide a name list that can be referred to.

Next, I hope for some forgiveness as the uninformed author of this fic. Bad writing, I will not make excuses for, because I am by no means a new writer. On the other hand, I ask for some space from those who are finicky about facts. Even though I have cleared this problem by mentioning that it is an AU, I have tried my very best to get my facts right. However, seeing as I have never actually really watched the anime (except for selected episodes), and have only read one book of the special manga, there is an extremely high possibility that I have made several mistakes along the way.

Finally, I thank you for taking the time to read this (probably) extremely long author's note and hope that you will enjoy this piece of fiction.

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon and all other names do not belong to me. I am simply using them for creative expression - will put them back neatly when I'm done.

---

(Monologue of a prologue, courtesy of protagonist number one)

My name is Yuuki. I am a nineteen-year-old boy (or do I qualify as a man?). I have two parents, a father and a mother, like everyone else. I'm also relatively sure that I'm not an alien experiment, so you can be at ease. My entire family lives apart. My mother lives in Littleroot town, where my own pokemon journey began many years back - but I'll get to that soon enough - and refuses to leave. She may act as if she were a pushover, and seems to listen to whatever my father has to say, but my mother is a strong-willed woman in her own right. Sometimes even father is afraid of her.

My father is the Petalburg city gym leader, and specialises in normal-type pokemon. He's slightly obsessed with pokemon, and is rather fierce. In recent years he's calmed down lots, even though I am beginning to suspect that he's still as crazy as he was in his younger days. I don't like my father very much. He's risen 'obsessed' to an art form. My version of 'obsessed' is no where near his. If mine is a stage play, his is a full blown musical with surround sound and psychedelic light shows.

I have no siblings, but I can't accurately say that I had a lonely childhood. My life involves myself, my mother, my father (involved, in his case), my childhood friend Haruka, my mentor Mikuri, and there is no et al after that. The rest were mostly pedestrian (in both senses of the word) participants that were not major movers in my life. Perhaps one or two of them I remember more, such as the professor, Roujin and Tsuwabuki Daigo.

And me? I've moved away from my family a long time ago. I earn my own living, and participate in pokemon contests as a hobby. My pokemon team consists of a Swampert, Zuzu; a Mightyena, Nana; a Castform, Popo and a Delcatty, Coco. Some people have had the audacity to laugh at their names, but I beat them fair and square so they can't laugh anymore. And what's wrong if I take care of my hair, at least I don't allow it to fop around as if it were made of twigs. There are other stranger, and vainer, people out there, wait till you see them, and only then can you compare vanity. Like my old mentor, Mikuri? Yeah, him. Wait till you see how long he takes in front of a mirror. We began training at ten every morning, even though the both of us are early risers, because he has to primp in front of a mirror. I swear it's true.

Don't tell him I said that.

My journey as pokemon trainer, as people so love to term it, starts in Littleroot town. It is not the place of my birth, I was born in Johto, but it is where my residence in Hoenn first is. Professor Birch, a famous and lauded scholar of pokemon, had given me a pokemon as a thanks for saving him from a Poochyena, or had it been a Zigzagoon? I no longer remember, but it makes very little difference - it was a pokemon, that's all that's important. The pokemon he had given me had been a Mudkip, who I named 'Zuzu', now a Swampert. My father had been in town (a rarity!) that day, and had given me three other pokemon - a Skitty, a Poochyena and a Ralts. It sounds extremely benevolent and kind of him, but those were all spares of his which he couldn't be bothered to train. Rethinking your opinion of him now? (I have to thank him for his choice in 'extras' however, my pokemon are so _cute, _if I should say so myself!)

I can't possibly tell you everything that has happened to me in between the beginnings of my journey and what I am now, because that would not only be self-gratification, it would also be extremely boring self-gratification. I think we can give that a miss. In a nutshell (a very small nutshell, for nine-years of my eventful life): I managed to get all eight gym badges from the Hoenn gyms, but never participated in the league championships themselves. By the time I had reached the sixth gym, I had been sick of battling - you don't have to know my reasons - but I had to persist, as the gym badges would allow me to use certain HM moves outside battle. For a while, I studied under the current Hoenn league champion (please do not begin to think about how glorious that might seem, it was a most painful time of my life) before he returned back to his duties as a gym leader in Sootopolis city. Blah, blah, blah. I then spent the rest of my time participating in pokemon contests, which are much more interesting than battling in my opinion - at least your pokemon remain clean and neat. I then moved to Mauville city, permanently and with the blessing of my mother (I don't think my father even knows), but still travel periodically.

That's it. Surprised? Were you hoping for some big, marvellous and fantastical adventure? I mean, I could always concoct a story to your liking, if you want, something about a pokemon trainer who managed to conquer all the gyms and league championships in the three regions. But then again, that wouldn't be about me, and I would have no personal interest in it. (I know, I sound self-absorbed, but that's what you get.) Bear with me, I fear I am having a little too much fun with this slightly meaningless soliloquy, but it is almost the end.

I find that I am somewhat fond of making use of parentheses, which some may consider a bad habit but I am not inclined to be swayed by their grammatical evangelism - if you will forgive my misuse of the term.

I shall be frank here, since I feel it is my duty to be truthful in self-expression. I do not take well to ugly things. Call me shallow, if you so wish, but coarse, unkempt and boring people do not interest me. Please do not race to object, by 'ugly', I meant character-wise - I'm not as shallow as I used to be. At the same time, however, I believe that politeness and social grace is over-rated, even though I can grudgingly admit that it is sometimes necessary and useful. Before you begin to accuse me of hypocrisy, I must say that I never thought of myself as a particularly nice person. I am sure that people who have met me before agree that I am not a very sociable person, so please attribute any trace of my sarcasm to my unwillingness to immerse myself in unnecessary conversation. For that reason I have few friends, and those that I have are either as sarcastic as I am, or extremely forgiving. I do not know how they put up with me. Would you forgive me though, if I told you I wasn't always like that? I think it's something that comes with one growing up. The only two people who I know still go -Kira! Kira!- (yes, with the capitals as well as the exclamation marks) after turning eighteen are Mikuri and his own mentor, Adan (my dai shishou). Pray that I won't become like that.

That sounds depressing, even to myself, but I'm certain that more entertaining things will happen. After all, if life is perpetually boring ('boring' perpetuates more 'boring' and a vicious cycle ensues) then it wouldn't be much of a life, would it? I wouldn't be able to tolerate that. Even if nothing happened, I'd make stuff happen.

---

People always want to know how a great trainer's journey starts, and take great interest in the personal lives of these trainers. Every other mediocre trainer keeps close watch on the upward path of each and every league champion, past or present, in hope of being able to spot some minute strategic detail or tactic that they can mimic so that they themselves can follow in the footsteps of these great pokemon masters - ad infinitum, ad nauseam. Be it training regimes, pokemon types, genes or even towns of origin, the crowd of speculators never ceased to formulate theory after theory on the reason of success in the road to becoming a master, as if there was a secret formula to mastery. Curiously enough, most have never noticed that several of the best trainers in the past decade have never conformed to their idea of a perfect trainer, with perfect pokemon, perfect upbringing, perfect genes and perfect luck. Instead, they represent a diverse range of personality and character - Tajiri Satoshi, Ohkido Shigeru, Wataru, Tsuwabuki Daigo, Mikuri and so on.

These are just a few of those who have achieved the attainment of the highest honours of a trainer's journey - champion status. Touted by the league organisers as the strongest trainers in the lands, they lay claim to the legacy of champions before them. They are seen as the unbeatable, the strongest of the strong, but yet all they have really earned by becoming champions is the ability to confer their status to the next trainer who comes along and wins. In the end, they are only humans and not battle machines, and only a couple of enlightened persons amongst the plebeian masses know this.


	2. Hoenn

**Title:** And So It Happens

**Chapter:** 2/4 (Hoenn)

**Author's notes:** Again, I would like to re-affirm that this is an AU mash of game-canon, anime-canon and special manga-canon. There are certain issues with timing in this one, such as the presence of the fighting-type user at Mossdeep in the game. He's still there, even though this is around 8 years post-game (and post special-manga book 16, as far as I know). Anyhow, it's definitely AU, since the special manga has Ruby (Yuuki) recovering his Feebas.

I've tried very hard to keep the people in character, even though I know close to nothing about them. This is the result of the third major revision of this chapter, and I hope that it is satisfactory. The prologue probably hasn't attracted attention, and so I hope that this chapter will fulfil some expectations.

Points for if you can guess where the song lyrics were from!

Now, the names: 1) Yuuki – Ruby (special manga), Brendan (game). 2) Tsuwabuki Daigo – Steven Stone. 3) Roujin – Mr Briney. 4) Mikuri – Wallace. 5) Nagi – Winona. 6) Fuu and Ran – Tate and Liza. 7) Tsutsuji, Asuna – Roxanne, Flannery. 8) Zuzu – Yuuki's (Ruby's) Swampert. 9) Nana – Yuuki's (Ruby's) Mightyena. 10) Coco – Yuuki's (Ruby's) Delcatty. 11) Popo – Yuuki's (Ruby's) Castform.

Note about the names of Yuuki's pokemon. They were not made up by me, but were taken from the pokemon special manga. The names are actually syllables from the pokemon's names (like how 'Popo' is from Powalen and 'Nana' is from Poochyena.)

**Disclaimer:** Pokemon and all other names do not belong to me. I am simply using them for creative expression - will put them back neatly when I'm done.

---

_Hoenn is well known for the abundance of good relations between creatures known as pocket monsters or, in short, pokemon and humans, as well as inter-human relations. With a landmass greater than that of Kanto or Johto, and possessing a diverse landscape, the region of Hoenn is home to great populations of both humans and pokemon which live together in peace. It would be relatively safe - if you'll forgive the pun - to say that the probability of getting attacked by wild pokemon (excluding those which have been provoked) is extremely low. _

_Every month, a new batch of youngsters embarks on a journey towards becoming a pokemon master. They train - in the fields of Fortree city, in the waters of Sootopolis city, on the shores of Dewford - with a clear goal in mind. Others, with other aspirations, may train in the contest hall in Lilycove._

_One such person exists, even though he does not think at times. He wakes up in the mornings with a tad of gloom, knowing that the day to come will be the day that has passed. The weather outside is good, but he decides to stay indoors. He has had an interesting night, filled with strange dreams, and does not know what he shall make of it. Running his fingers through his tussled hair, he closes his eyes and pulls the covers over his head in a typical display of unwillingness to begin the day. He rolls over onto his side and shifts continually till he finds a comfortable position. Now satisfied, he tries to call sleep back, only to find his mind blaring a song he heard on the radio only just the day before. _

_-Yuuki no tobira akeru kagi wa-_

_'The key which opens the door of courage', he thinks. It makes little sense to him, and he dismisses it as a line typical of a song - something cheesy people add in because they have nothing else to put into the lyrics. He has heard many variations of this line, he had heard of the 'door of love', the 'door of hope' and many other similar doors. There are many keys as well, but he supposes that most of them don't fit the keyhole. He has to admit that the beat is rather catchy however._

_-Yuuki no tobira akeru kagi wa-_

_It's the only line that he remembers of the song. A most strange line to get stuck in his head, but he guesses that he should not be choosy since there are other worse lines (and worse songs) that could get stuck in his head. He tries to remember the lyrics of a song that he liked a while back but fails, as the song refuses to cease its sad repetition of that one singular line. _

_Yuukirinrin Genki-_

_-Yuuki no tobira akeru kagi wa- _

_He finally decides that he has had enough, and gives in to the mental alarm clock - which he cannot turn off. Getting out of his bed with some considerable effort, he heads straight for the bathroom - as he does everyday - and changes. He brushes his hair several times over, peering closely at the mirror to determine if it looks good from every angle. He notices that it has grown longer and contemplates having it cut, though he half-fancies the look. _

_Brushing his teeth properly and remembering to floss, he places the toothbrush down and dries his hands on the cloth next to the sink. He moves to his cupboard and opens it, frowning slightly at the creak that it has acquired, and frowns even more when he discovers that his favourite shirt has grown a colony of crinkles on it. He settles for another, lesser worn, one, and pulls it on. As straightens his pants, he looks in the mirror one more time to ensure that he has not forgotten anything. He has never forgiven himself for walking out the door that one morning in his boxers._

_He looks out the window and at the small piece of Hoenn visible from the metal-bound rectangular frame. There is little reason for him to venture out into the sun, as he has enough work to occupy himself in his own house. Checking his pokeNav, he sees a message from his mother. It is the usual 'how-are-you' and 'take-care-of-yourself' fare, but he feels glad never the less. He opens up a new message, and is halfway through typing 'fine' before the device decides to happily run out of battery. He curses inwardly, and plugs it into the charger before finishing the message, though not before suffering through the long start-up time. _

_When he's done, he gathers his undeveloped rolls of film and enters his darkroom. He forgoes breakfast, since the smell of the chemicals always makes his stomach churn in a way that it really should not. Going through the process meticulously, he carefully pours the chemicals into the container and agitates it as he should, eyes glued to the clock on the wall. Once he has taken the film out of the canister, he washes it skilfully and efficiently, eager to see his negatives. Finally, he switches the lights on, and hangs his negatives in the dryer. Returning to the darkroom, he searches for his chemicals. Trying not to breathe in the putrid stench of the chemicals, he rummages around his storage cupboard. _

_He furrows his eyebrows after a few minutes of searching - he cannot find the stopbath container. Standing up and looking around the room, hoping to locate the container which he might have forgotten to keep, he still cannot see it. He sniffs the air and discovers a slight burning smell over the fragrance of the other chemicals. His eyes widen, and he rushes over to the dryer. Switching it off, he waits until the fan has stopped before he pulls the door open. _

_He curses once more, the second time in less than an hour - his stopbath is missing and his negatives are warped. _

_Things are not going as expected._

_He changes his plans. He pours the chemicals back into their containers and keeps his negatives. Pulling his hat on as he picks his key up, he heads out of the house._

_---_

Yuuki had never believed in going for a league championship battle. He had never taken on gym challenges with the intention of going to Evergrande, or went out of his way to battle other trainers just to improve. He battled whenever he had to, and only ever just the necessary battles. He had never caught pokemon for the sake of catching pokemon, or for the sake of finding more powerful ones to replace those he had. He had heard of the legendary pokemon, and was fully aware of the power they held, but hardly troubled himself by entertaining the thought of bringing them under his control.

He had his pokemon, a good pair of running shoes, a durable backpack, comfortable clothes, a sizable amount of money, a container of hair-gel and food on his table, bought with his own money which was made by his own hands, and he was happy. He was turning twenty-years-old, living in a spacious house in Mauville, had a few good friends, and he was happy.

Yuuki was watching his Mightyena and Delcatty race in the uneven grass, the brief flashes of black and yellow fun indications of their location, while his Castform zoomed about aimlessly shooting random water spouts at nearby plants. His Swampert was lazing under the shade of a tree, he scratched at his arm for a lack of anything else to do, and he was bloody god-darned bored.

Standing up suddenly, his pokemon all turned to look at him expectantly. Yuuki spoke carefully, wondering if his pokemon were open to his suggestion, "Let's go on a trip. I don't know about you guys, but I'm practically aching to get out of this place." There was a sudden pause as the pokemon considered their trainer's words, exchanging looks amongst themselves, before Zuzu nodded approval. Grinning happily, Yuuki glanced squinted at the sky, "It looks about noon now, wouldn't you say Popo?" The Castform happily perched itself on the comfortable shoulder of his trainer and made a noise of agreement. "Alright then, what say you guys to some lunch and we get out of here after that?" Not exactly waiting for an answer, he dashed off to his house, eager to depart from the miserably repetitive routine he had settled into over the months he had been home after his last trip around Hoenn.

Packing hastily, but meticulously, Yuuki left his pokemon to their meal while he made a call to Roujin, having earlier made the decision to forgo the immense irritation of surfing to his destination. After uttering the usual pleasantries, he put in his request, "the seas are packed with trainers this time of the year, especially around route 124 and the 130s. I'm not up to battling junior trainers every few metres I travel. If it's not too much trouble for you, I'd be grateful for a ride." He tapped on the bedside table absently while his old friend contemplated the request, nails clacking on the varnished wood.

"I'm in Dewford at the moment, so it wouldn't be too much trouble for me to swing by Slateport to pick you up. Piko-chan's lonesome for company at the moment, and I'm extremely interested in how your own pokemon are going," even on the other side of the line, Yuuki could pick up the distinct amusement in the sailor's voice. It seemed that the old man's sole pokemon was as restless as always, having only his trainer's sardonics and ironies to keep him company. Wingulls were valuable pokemon for sailors, and Piko was unfailingly loyal to her trainer, but Yuuki always harboured suspicions that the flying pokemon was secretly exasperated at Roujin's reluctance to catch another pokemon that wasn't going to be stuck in water all the time. Sailors were accustomed to being alone, but that didn't mean that their pokemon had to.

Smiling, Yuuki replied, "I'll be sure to bring along something for Piko-chan then, and Zuzu's been trying to persuade me to visit for sometime now. My pokemon are all fine, since you have displayed an interest. Nana has suddenly developed a taste for pokeblocks and devours them like candy. I've been stabbing at the berry blender constantly because of that. Coco and Popo are pretty much the same, as is Zuzu, who I suspect is the only sane one out of this motley gang." He loved his pokemon like the children he promised he would never saddle himself with, but no one ever said he couldn't make fun of them.

"That's good! Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you again Yuuki. Before I go to Slateport though, I still have some small business to settle here in Dewford. I hope you don't mind waiting for this old man."

"No problem at all, I'm still at Mauville and it'll take me at least two hours to get to Slateport even if I cycle. Take your time, and I'll meet you in the pokemon centre around three hours from now? Unless you prefer something else...?"

"No, no, that's fine. Small business, I said, it shouldn't take me more than half and hour to finish. I'll see you there then?"

"Yes, and thank you very much, Roujin. I owe you for this," Yuuki said warmly, glad not only for the ride but also a chance to see his friend again. Roujin was a busy sailor, and he could never say for sure where the old man was at any given moment. Yuuki hardly had the chance to meet up with the few good friends he allowed himself to have, and even when he was free himself, they weren't. Of course, he always had Zuzu, Nana, Coco and Popo around.

"No problem at all," the old sailor replied, "Goodbye then, and I'll see you in three hours or so."

"Right, bye then." Hanging up, he gathered his things off the bed, stopping momentarily at the mirror for a passing look at his reflection. After he was certain that his hair was neat enough, he left his room, shutting the door gently. His pokemon were all waiting outside his room, looking conspicuously at the pokeballs attached to his belt. Rolling his eyes and giving his pokemon an amused smile, he spoke, "You guys are always the same, lazy to walk after you've eaten." Out of the four, only Zuzu had the decency to look the least bit guilty. Nana just looked at him, and Yuuki knew him well enough to know that the canine was laughing inwardly. Sighing, he continued, speaking to Coco this time, "And you, I bet you just don't want to ruin your paws." The Delcatty only gave him a seemingly cursory glance before he returned to his previous activity of licking his paws clean. Popo zoomed over and sat on his shoulder once more, making a few sounds of contentment before launching itself at his pokeball and disappearing inside with a flash of light. The Mightyena padded over and touched the button of the pokeball with his wet nose, but not before giving his trainer's hand a good lick. Selectively detaching two pokeballs from the remaining four, he knelt down on the floor, offering them to Zuzu and Coco. Both disappeared inside a brief moment later. Straightening up, Yuuki gently attached the pokeballs back to his belt - he knew they didn't like to be jostled about. His hand brushed over the two other empty pokeballs out of habit, and his eyebrows furrowed a little. Two pokeballs, for his two other pokemon, Ruru - a Ralts - and Mimi - a Feebas. One had another trainer and the other's location he could only guess at.

Shaking himself free from the depressing thoughts, Yuuki set away the cooking and eating utensils and set everything else in place before he exited the house. He hadn't really a concrete idea of what he was going to do on the trip, but he was glad he had made the decision to leave. The atmosphere in Mauville was beginning to grate on his nerves slightly, and a change in scenery was desperately in order.

Yuuki set off to the south, travelling down route 110 via the cycling path. The cyclists all knew him by name, and had also given up on challenging him. He stopped but a few times, and only to greet a few of the triathlon cyclists he knew better. Paddling his Acro bike at a leisurely pace that suited his given timeframe perfectly, he skilfully dodged some of the less experienced riders attempting to race along the somewhat congested pathway. The wind felt exceptionally good in his face, even if some of it was caused by on-going battles by the side of the path. His dislike for battling bubbled to the surface, and he pointedly looked away, suppressing them. There was once he would have given anything to have battle after battle so that he could level up his pokemon and take on tougher trainers, but that period of time was long past and he did not like to think about it. What trainers did on the cycling path was their business, until it got into his way, at which he would then make it his business. His distaste for pokemon battles did not make him entirely adverse to teaching uppity trainers that pokemon battles shouldn't be held in crowded areas. He gritted his teeth and cycled past yet another battle.

Upon reaching Slateport, Yuuki dismounted his bicycle and wheeled it to the market area where he chained it to a pole. Bicycles were expensive, and he did not particularly want to risk having his stolen. Musing to himself, the nineteen-year-old reflected that it probably wasn't the best of ideas to bring his bicycle with him. He could drag it about with him, he supposed, and it might prove to be useful at certain points, but it was still somewhat troublesome. He frowned at the bicycle, wondering if there was somebody who would not mind looking after it for him while he went off. His home in Mauville was a good two hour ride, and then he'd have to run back on foot, which was yet another three hours. Yuuki dismissed the idea immediately - he hated being late.

Resigning himself to the companionship of his bicycle, Yuuki left it where it stood, and wandered aimlessly in the marketplace. His mind was only half on the items that were on display. They were pretty enough, but none were entirely for practical purposes save those meant for battling, and Yuuki wasn't the largest fan of pokedolls in Hoenn. He gave that stall a miss.

Forty minutes later, a drink in hand and his other hand stuffed in his pocket, the trainer stared pensively at the open sea glinting back at him. The waters were relatively calm and the beach was crowded with teenagers eager to have a rest before the weekend departed. Yuuki knew that some of them were trainers, and adamantly avoided it, instead choosing to lean against the metal railings that stood between the marketplace and the beach. From where he stood, he had an excellently good view of the waters that constituted route 109. He only had slightly less than half an hour before Roujin would dock his ship, and he had already toured the market once. Having found nothing that caught his eye, the trainer decided against waiting in the pokemon centre, his impatience pushing him to the area near the newly-built docks to wait for the sailor.

Surveying the beach and the people lounging around on towels and building sand castles, Yuuki found himself contemplating the curious idea of him having never got involved with pokemon. Would he just have been a normal teenager, like some of those on the beach certainly were? Then-

"Ho, Yuuki!", the call snapped him out of his train of thought, and he looked up to spot the familiar sails of Roujin's boat. On the bow of the boat, he could see Roujin waving madly at him (though he had to squint rather strenuously). Smiling genuinely, Yuuki hurdled over the railings, and jogged towards the boat. Grinning as a thought came to mind, he sped up at he approached the shoreline. At the last moment, he took a leap, grabbing onto the railing on the boat and flipping neatly onto the desk to face a slightly shocked old man.

Allowing himself a smug smile, "I told you I could do it." Roujin merely raised his eyebrow in amusement, before moving to place his arm around the shoulders of the boy he had travelled with a few years before. "You stupid idiot, one day you're going to bang into the railing, get a nasty bruise and have blood over that disaster you call a hat."

Yuuki touched the hat he was so fond of out of reflex, before laughing at his friend, "you're just jealous you can't do it."

Without warning, the old sailor boxed him on the head, "No sane old man's going to attempt something like that, you fool." This was said with a smile, however, and the two shared a laugh after exchanging a look.

"So, where're we headed off to, you sorry excuse for a responsible youth?" Roujin asked laughingly, as Piko flew over and perched on Yuuki's precious hat.

Shaking Piko off so that the Wingull landed instead on his forearm, the trainer replied as he pet the flying pokemon that belonged to his friend, "I didn't exactly have a destination in mind, really..."

The sailor paused, thinking silently. After a while, he spoke up again, chewing on his lip, "I heard that the Wailmers have are arriving in waveloads this year. I've been seeing them rather frequently when I came from Dewford. There's a place where they gather, I understand."

"Mossdeep?"

"Yes, there. As far as I know, the weather there isn't bad.."

"...And since it's somewhat far from Lilycove, the tourists are probably elsewhere. Ferry fees are going up aren't they?"

"So they are," Roujin rubbed his chin, looking speculatively at the sea before continuing, "It's not a bad idea. The currents aren't as bad this time of the year on the 130s routes... Mossdeep it is, then?" He looked at the younger trainer for confirmation.

Yuuki nodded, Mossdeep was a beautiful place after all, "It would seem to be a suitable destination."

---

The sea journey was as all sea journeys were. Inevitably, Yuuki moved away from where Roujin was steering the boat, while following Piko's lead, and off towards the tail end of the boat. Resting his arms on the railing and fixing his eyes on the ripples the boat left across the water, Yuuki stared at the expanse of water before him. Even as Slateport disappeared into the horizon while the boat continued its slow journey towards Pacifidlog, the sky grew darker slowly, and Yuuki found himself becoming progressively more impatient. A swarm of Tentacool went by, but the trainer paid them no attention and they did the same.

Closing his eyes and settling down on the floor, his back now facing the railings, he surrendered to the peace dusk had brought to the seas. Soon, he knew, they would reach Pacifidlog, where Roujin would insist on stopping for food, since the good-hearted sailor had the appetite of a Gyrados. But until then, he could afford a rest.

For once, Yuuki understood why there were people like Roujin who spent more time on a boat and under the stars than on dry land. Certainly, they didn't get to see people very often (other than the crew) when they ventured into the waters towards the south and the shelter was sketchy at best, especially when the weather turned bad. Then, the serenity of being in the middle of one of the Earth's greatest creations, without the hindrance of human life and the pollution that came with it, Yuuki supposed that it was more than enough to make up for the cons. In the simple way that Yuuki had witnessed Roujin interact with other captains they had met along the route, he had realised that sailors didn't need society because there was a society more home to them on the seas than could exist on land. On land, where everyone seemed so tied up in the politics and the other small bothers of daily life, where everyone was always busy and always too ambitious, no one ever had peace. On the seas, there was space enough for everyone.

Sensing the eventual slow down of the boat, his eyes snapped open and he hauled himself up, brushing invisible specks of dust off his clothing. Checking his pokeballs, as a force of habit, he made his way to the front end of the ship where Roujin stood peering ahead. "Pacifidlog is just up ahead, about a kilometre away. Can you see it?"

Nodding, he quietly asked, "Yes, how long more will it take before we arrive?"

"I don't know, the water's deep around here so I'll have to go slowly, but I estimate about two more minutes at most," the old sailor replied and turned to face the young trainer, "I hope you don't mind that we're stopping for the night. I'm-"

"Starving? I knew that. It's hardly a wonder you're growing potbelly, old man." Yuuki replied, fixing the most serious look he could muster under the circumstances on his youthful face.

"Har har," Roujin said dryly, "you're as witty as witty can be, oh master of wit!" Faking a gasp and placing the back of his hand on his wrinkled forehead, the old man pretended to swoon, as if overcome by the powerful presence of the 'master of wit'.

Ignoring the dramatics, Yuuki allowed himself a small smile, "Of course."

The light banter continued all the way into the restaurant, both too engaged in the contest of hilarity to notice the strange looks they were receiving. Dinner was a light-hearted affair and after paying, they both strolled contently back to the boat, where they would spend the night. Yuuki cracked his knuckles subconsciously, as he looked at his feet while he walked. The logs that formed the pathways in Pacifidlog were none too stable, and those who weren't used to the constant movement of the logs sloshing around in the waster were prone to falling in without warning.

The trainer knew how cold the water around Pacifidlog was, from previous experience which he would never admit to, and had no plans to fall nose-first into the waters and be eaten by a hungry Sharpedo. Although he had never been subject to having been chewed on, Yuuki was perfectly contented to pass on the experience.

Eventually, both were too caught up in their own thoughts to continue the verbal fencing and simply allowed it to die down. There were times that were meant to be filled with talk and glee, but Yuuki recognised that it was not one of those moments. Boarding the boat, this time the more normal way, the old sailor and the trainer entered the small cabin aboard.

Removing his coat, Roujin spoke up first, "I hope you don't mind that we have to share a room this time. The other one's been used up for storage, I'm afraid."

Yuuki set his things down a convenient corner and selected a cushion off one of the chairs, "Its fine. I'm too tired for the discomfort of the floor to impede my efforts in resting. If I wake up with a backache though, I know who's going to get it." Setting the cushion down on the floor and laying his head on it, he closed his eyes as his friend settled onto the bed. He did have to admit that he was marginally surprised that the old man had let the jab go unanswered.

After a moment of silence- "Yuuki?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever thought about changing your name? I mean, it's one of the girliest names about."

A pause, "it took you so long to think of that?"

"Forgive me, master of wit. It seems that this lowly disciple of yours has failed to conform to your high standards."

Another short pause was in order, as Yuuki shifted his body slightly, then, "Roujin? What time is it?"

"Ten p.m. or there abouts, why?"

"And what time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Five a.m. So?"

"Don't you think we should be sleeping?"

"Insufferable brat."

"Let's sleep."

"Weakling."

"Roujin, _sleep_."

"Fine," the old man commented in a fantastically faked whiny voice.

Yuuki ignored him.

---

The following morning was disgustingly bright, in Yuuki's opinion. Everything was just a tad too cheerful for time to take. The sun was shining in a disturbingly clichéd manner - bright, warm, whatever, and all the works, the sea was calm and, goodness, even though it was only seven blasted a.m. in the morning, the swimmers had already begun to show up. As the boat sailed past, everything seemed to crawl by in slow motion. The water droplets suspended themselves in the air and caught the light of the sun, flashing iridescently! The laughter of the children playing in the water was oh-so-delightful! The cries of the seabirds were triumphant as they swooped away into the air with their catch! And Yuuki! Was! Having! A! Headache!

Oh the _joy._

Yuuki indulged in the rarely awarded self-pity. He just wasn't up to feeling the 'happy' he usually felt , especially since he felt like he had been beaten by a log several times over. Zuzu sat on the deck beside him, stoically staring at the stretch of ocean they were leaving behind. The rest of his pokemon were all in their respective pokeballs, though Nana had come out just after dawn for an hour to bask in the warm sunlight.

As the nineteen-year-old stared blankly ahead, his eyes focusing on nothing in particular, the Swampert poked him gently on the thigh and made vague motions towards the sea, now with a look of slight longing in her eyes. "You want to go for a swim?" He asked kindly. Zuzu nodded firmly, and though she could not smile like its un-evolved forms, Yuuki could spot the beginnings of a smile her face. "Okay then, just be careful okay? Don't get into a battle with anyone, or catch someone's bait. There are some people out there who would do anything to capture what they think is a wild Swampert. So don't stray too far alright?" The pokemon nodded again, hugged his trainer seriously around the knee before leaping over the railings and into the glistening water.

Taking a look at his PokeNav, he noted that they were just entering route 130. Sootopolis was just about an hour's ride away, but stopping was too much the trouble, since Roujin owned a boat - not a submarine. Mooring the boat in the middle of an ocean would also prove to be rather difficult, since there wasn't anything they could use except the odd rock, none of which were too stable in the first place. Yuuki sighed, judging from the location of the sun in the sky, Piko was leading them in the North-north-east direction. The route would cut across 129 and 128 and place them at 127 by just slightly before noon. Certain then that they would not reach their destination anytime soon, he sneaked a few looks around the deck before pulling on his spectacles. Even though he detested wearing his spectacles, Yuuki did not wish to destroy his eyesight any further, and reading without spectacles pained his eyes.

There on the deck, he sat cross-legged for perhaps an hour, flipping through the pages every so often. The novel was a trashy one, containing main characters with names like Josephina and Maximillius Fernando Plecard. The female character, Josephina was the orphan trainer (which explained the lack of a family name, Yuuki guessed) of a legendary pokemon left to her by her deceased parents, a birthright of some sort. Throughout the course of the book, she travelled extensively and rid the world of injustice but was always merciful herself. Eventually, she reached the far-off realm of Prince Maximillius Fernando Plecard, a tyrant who ruled his land mercilessly with the help of his ill-treated pokemon. In the span of four chapters, she managed to defeat the prince and reformed him. Yuuki often found himself questioning the sanity of the author since the only good thing he could find about the entire twenty-three chapters he had read so far was that they _were so bad they were actually good_. There were several moments in the book that were so hilariously bad that he could not prevent himself from laughing aloud.

Just as Maximillius Fernando Plecard and Josephina were in the process of falling deeply in love, the trainer heard a familiar cry off the right side of the boat. Jumping immediately to his feet, Yuuki almost hurled himself over the railing in his haste. What he saw sickened and angered him greatly - some blasted trainer had thrown a net over Zuzu and was trying to capture her. Swearing in every language he knew, and continuing to curse under his breath as he called Nana out of his resting place. Calm, control, cool and being collected were right and dandy and everything, but not when some swimmer with a brain the size of a nutshell (with nothing inside!) was trying to capture his pokemon. Not only was it perhaps one of the most serious breach of etiquette between two trainers, but not even a brainless fisherman would attempt flinging a net over a Swampert. Running out of swear words was not a problem, Yuuki thought crossly. He was feeling rather creative at the moment, and the swimmer should have been damned well glad that he was inventing swear words in his honour.

"Nana! Bite!" He commanded loudly. The Mightyena didn't need any further prompting, enraged by the capture of his friend and companion, leaping clean off the boat and tearing a large hole in the net. As the freed Swampert swam clear of the net, Yuuki could sense that Zuzu was seething mad. He grimly nodded at her when she looked at him asking for instruction. With lethal fury, he spoke, "Surf, Zuzu, or waterfall. I don't know, be creative." The pokemon seemed only too happy to comply.

Just a moment later, a dreadful mound of water amassed itself to the left of the stricken swimmer, fear freezing him in place even as the water arched over him, ready to crush him under its weight. Yuuki watched quietly, blatantly unforgiving. He knew that the attack would not kill the swimmer, but would at least promise extensive bruising, punishment enough for his deeds of extreme stupidity. Mightyena and Swampert landed gracefully on the deck, just slightly before the waterfall attack would hit the swimmer. He petted Zuzu on the head, placing an arm around the Swampert's version of shoulders, ignoring the spray of water coming from his left where the Mightyena was having fun drying himself. Averting his eyes as the water crashed down, he murmured quietly to the Swampert, who disappeared inside her pokeball without complaint. He looked up once more however, when a voice from somewhere above him spoke up.

"And what might this be?" It enquired.

Muted rage sprang up once more in Yuuki as he saw the swimmer safe and unharmed, though horribly confused, on the back of the Metagross. His eyes focusing on the owner of the voice, "D- Tsuwabuki. What a surprise."

The Metagross moved closer to the boat and the silhouetted figure of Tsuwabuki Daigo stepped off onto the deck of the boat, leaving the befuddled swimmer sprawled across the metallic body of the pokemon. "I was just passing by on the way back home. I thought I saw someone familiar when I looked down. Your hat is recognisable from four miles in every direction, Yuuki." The ex-champion smiled, though his expression was still serious.

"You should have let the guy have it. He _really_ had it coming." Yuuki replied bluntly, ignoring the second snipe at his poor innocent hat.

"I saw what happened, and you are right. But hurting people is a serious business." Yuuki stared adamantly at the metal specialist, but his eyes lost some of the hostility.

"Nevertheless, he does deserve something," Daigo muttered thoughtfully. The younger trainer continued to watch the grey-haired man silently. "Do you mind?" Daigo asked, half facing his pokemon and half facing Yuuki. He merely shook his head mutely in response, not trusting his ability to refrain from ordering Nana to bite the dratted swimmer's arm off. The ex-champion turned and simply called his pokemon. "Metagross," with that, the metal pokemon tipped its body slightly, but it was more than enough to dump the dazed swimmer off the pokemon and into the sea, water spraying everything.

Yuuki watched the display with grudging amusement. The swimmer had embarrassed himself in front of the ex Hoenn League champion, and said former champion had taken care of it himself. Stupidity had its perks, he supposed, if a clueless swimmer was to be rewarded with the presence of the mighty Tsuwabuki Daigo.

"May I ride with you?" For a moment, Yuuki thought that the man had directed the question at him, but he realised that Daigo was in fact looking over his shoulder. Turning his head, Yuuki saw that Roujin had appeared sometime during the several minutes the ordeal had lasted.

"Of course you may," and then to Yuuki, "I came to see what was going on when I heard shouting." Scratching at his beard and grinning, he continued, "You don't just have a girly name, Yuuki. I swear that you're becoming the epitome of a drama queen." The sulking trainer blushed slightly, well aware that he might have piled the dramatics on too high with that performance. "You two know each other?" The sailor continued, amusement prancing around his eyes.

"We've met before," Yuuki answered shortly, curtly. He was still incensed by what the swimmer had stupidly done, and could not help but let some rudeness leak through.

"We're friends," Daigo chipped in cheerfully, attaching the pokeball with Metagross in it to his belt. Roujin raised his eyebrow speculatively, but did not comment.

"I'll just leave the two of you to catch up then. Just so you know, Mossdeep's just over an hour away." The old sailor ambled off, Piko flying in circles around his head.

Yuuki stared openly at the older trainer, before speaking bluntly, "Why bother riding with us? I'm certain Metagross would get you back to Mossdeep faster than this boat." The wandering trainer was deceptively eccentric, despite being the son of the president of Devon Corporation as well as the ex Hoenn League champion. "What do we owe this honour to?"

The grey-haired trainer merely raised an eyebrow at him, but his facial expression revealed nothing else. Finally, "Why so cold, Yuuki?"

The nineteen-year-old shot the older man a look and sighed, his lips drawn in a frown, "I'm in the mood for angst, okay? So sue me." With that, he turned away and leant over the railings once more and his Mightyena padded over softly and lay down, pressed around his leg. He resumed his melancholic viewing of the ocean, allowing his mind to blank out.

---

Daigo sighed, but refused to move away. The younger trainer had intrigued him ever since the first time they had met on Dewford. He had been searching for rare stones, as he usually did, and the other, had been tasked to deliver a letter to him from his father. Daigo had barely caught a proper glimpse of the boy's face that day, too busy skimming through the contents of the letter. Besides, the boy's face had been covered in dirt and dust, and his features had been partially hidden behind his wilting hat. He had not known what had compelled him to do so, but he had registered the boy in his PokeNav and even gave him his favourite TM. Perhaps it was the fact that the boy had persisted in his given task without even asking for anything in reply - he had handed the letter over mutely, passed Daigo his PokeNav mutely and accepted the TM mutely. The only word he had uttered in their exchange was, "Um." Not exactly the most polite of greetings, but Daigo had been too distracted to have noticed.

He had later learned that the boy's name was Yuuki, supposedly named for the rarely seen Snow flowers in Johto. Daigo had almost laughed, not at the name but more so at the massive mismatch. The second time they had met, the boy had a party of pokemon all around level 40. He was anything but the frailty his name suggested. One would connect a name like 'Yuuki' to a courteous, demure and soft-spoken girl, not the sarcastic, determined and sometimes shallow boy he had met.

And just then, the trainer, now almost a man, was sulking on a boat and, as far as he knew, at nothing in particular. Daigo continued his observation of the other, noting the many changed the boy had undergone over the three years they had not met. Daigo, despite not being an employee of Devon Corporation, was still affiliated with the company his father presided over. The past three years had been a combination of social functions and expeditions with some of the Devon Co. people. He had spent three cold months in a cave in Kanto digging and chipping slowly away at the walls which supposedly contained a certain kind of rare mineral, after which he had returned to the slightly warmer Johto region where he had stayed for a year. Even though he had gladly relinquished his position as the Hoenn League champion back to his old friend, he had never failed to fulfil the obligations he had as an ex-champion. He was Tsuwabuki Daigo the ever-busy and things had happened over the past three years that he hadn't even noticed.

Just a few weeks ago, he had received a distressing call from Mikuri accusing him of having forgotten to join them for his and Nagi's one-year marriage anniversary. It was the truth, he had even been diving near Sootopolis, and guilt had overwhelmed him like never before. Fortunately, Mikuri's bout of melodrama had died down after a week, but only after Daigo had treated the both of them to a generous dinner and showered them with apologies and the promise not to forget the following year.

Mikuri, the conniving twit, had even demanded a present for his beloved wife.

Other things had apparently happened too, the more mundane things, the more expected things - like Yuuki growing up. Since Daigo had last seen him, the young trainer had grown a good twenty or so centimetres. His hair had been cut short and stood out in unruly spikes in an Oddish-like way. His voice had deepened considerably, and he had definitely lost the sparkles he had used to have in his eyes (and the hyper-ness as well). He had to be about nineteen by then, the metal specialist mused to himself, or maybe even twenty.

"Tsuwabuki-" Yuuki began.

"Daigo." The grey-haired trainer interrupted immediately, he hated being called by his family name. It sounded too impersonal, too distant. He had heard far too much of it when he claimed championship. It spewed from the mouths of every trainer and the speakers of every television screen after the news had been announced, despite the fact that it was practically a tongue-twister in its own right. Tsuwabuki, Tsuwabuki, Tsuwabuki, Tsuwabuki. He had got sick of hearing it. And to hear it from an old friend, how cold! Nevertheless, his interruption earned him an unreadable look from Yuuki.

"Daigo," the other trainer acknowledged slowly, and Daigo smiled even though the intonation was distinctly of the Johto region, as he had remembered. He ignored it, since it was an interesting experience to hear that your name, mispronounced, sounded better than how it was meant to sound. "How did you know that we were going to Mossdeep?"

"Your friend said so, just now," he replied truthfully.

"No," Yuuki shook his head with evident impatience, "before that. When you asked to ride with us. How did you know we were going to Mossdeep?"

"I didn't know." That hadn't been a lie. Daigo hadn't known where they were headed. Perhaps it had been the shock of suddenly seeing Yuuki that poked him into asking for a ride with the younger trainer. It hardly mattered anyhow, since Metagross would simply fly him to his original destination. "Does it matter?" he said simply, in reply to the hard stare the man was giving him.

When Yuuki did not reply, he moved over to the railing where the other stood. Careful not to step on the dozing Mightyena, he mirrored his friend's position, leaning slightly over the railing. It seemed that the boy's dislike for small talk had not changed much. Daigo did not mind, he was used to the quiet. Together they watched as the water sped by and a landmass the shape of Mossdeep loomed over the horizon.

As Roujin expertly docked the boat, Daigo spoke up, "how long will you two be staying in Mossdeep?"

"A while, I suppose. I don't know what Roujin's plans are, but I'm not leaving until I think of a destination."

Daigo's curiosity piqued, "aren't the two of you travelling together?"

"Not quite. I wanted to get out of Mauville, so I asked for a ride somewhere and he suggested Mossdeep."

"Get out of Mauville?"

Yuuki paused, hesitant to answer, "I live there now. It...it's a nice place."

The metal specialist ran his fingers through his hair, uncertain of how he should place his offer. His house in Mossdeep was far too large for him, even with his rock collection, and having visitors would make him feel as if he really did live there. "If you're fine with it, you're more than welcome to stay with me when you're in Mossdeep. I haven't anything scheduled in the next few months, so you won't be intruding." Even though the offer was made casually, Daigo suddenly felt nervousness rising - as if the other's answer mattered a great deal to him.

Obviously contemplating the idea in all seriousness, the younger man eventually nodded. "That would be most kind of you." He smiled slightly, "though you might want to reconsider when you hear how loudly Roujin snores during the night. If you're close enough, sometimes you can almost feel the vibrations."

The smile had caught Daigo off-guard. Just under an hour before, Yuuki had been more than willing to call a Waterfall attack on someone, and just then he was smiling and poking fun at his friend. He returned the smile, glad that the other trainer had seemed to loosen up a little. "That might be a problem, since I only have two rooms. I rarely ever have visitors. Usually it's just Mikuri who visits. Sometimes he brings Nagi along, and then I have to share my room with him. I don't even want to think of what might happen if I had ever let them share a room. Don't worry though, the rooms are quite large. Even if we have to share, there'll be more than enough space."

"Thank you." Daigo smiled at the reply, drawing another from Yuuki.

The ex-champion turned away first, straightened up, and took a look around, "we've stopped." Mossdeep city lay sprawled on the land before him, his own house visible from the boat though barely a speck amongst other buildings. He was back home, in a beautiful city with beautiful people and equally beautiful weather, and on the long break he so deserved.

"Shall we go?"

---

Mossdeep looked exactly the same as it had when Yuuki first visited it. Only well known by its space station and its proximity to Sootopolis and Evergrande, the island that was almost in the middle of nowhere had evaded the touch of development. Unlike Rustboro, which was characterised by its sky-scrapping structures of steel, glass and concrete, Mossdeep consisted of clusters of stone houses that gave it a certain rustic charm. Even the moss that grew on the stone blocks of the houses gave each house a personal touch, some had been cut into lovely patterns that beautified the bleak appearances of the grey walls.

The city itself occupied a space that was bigger than Mauville, but the houses were sparse and far apart, giving more personal space to each family. The house that Daigo led them to was a typical Mossdeep house, and relatively large at that. The garden at the front yard of the house was lined with rocks and pale flowers, and a path had been paved to the front step of the stone house. The whole atmosphere was, on the whole, rather cottage-ish, and Yuuki could not put it past him that the ex-champion of the Hoenn League and the son of the president of one of Hoenn's biggest conglomerates would chose to live in the house he was looking at.

Piko was flittering happily above the house, and Roujin was equally excited, having said "This house is huge!" several times in the span of a minute or so (the cries, Yuuki noticed, quickly became "This house is empty!" when Roujin caught sight of the interior). Yuuki took a look around, absorbing the detail of the house. The insides were as bare as the outer wall, the spartan furniture barely testament to the fact that the house was indeed habited. Daigo's apparent preference for an austere lifestyle had definitely translated over into his house.

A single couch with a low stone table before it sat along one of the walls of what Yuuki presumed was the living room. Opposite it was another table with a simple television set and a hi-fi system (he was almost surprised to see that Daigo had chosen to indulge in any of the benefits technology brought, though he had to admit that the hi-fi system was rather advanced), next to it was a shelf filled with rocks and picture frames - and that was all the furniture the living room contained.

"You can leave your things here, if you want. I have to leave for a moment, but you can feel free to stay here. Sleeping arrangements, I presume, we can settle later." The ex-champion smiled as he opened the front door, preparing to leave, "don't break anything."

Yuuki managed to get in a short wave and a smile before the other disappeared behind the door. Dropping his backpack in the corner, careful of his camera, he noticed Roujin staring at him, his demeanour significantly different from before. The sailor was giving him a speculative look, under which Yuuki felt terribly uncomfortable. "What?" he said, raising an eyebrow in question.

"How well do you know this Tsuwabuki?" The sailor asked, sitting down on the couch with a sigh. From where he stood, Yuuki could hear the crack of his friend's bones, and sympathy welled up in him.

"...Not very, I suppose. We've met several times before, a few years back. That was when I was still battling competitively and he was still the Hoenn League champion. He's helped me several times, but when I gave up battling seriously, I never really found a reason to keep in contact with him." The question was a curious one, but he had answered truthfully. Daigo had been one of his major motivational forces in the beginnings of his journey, and a constant help, but Yuuki had never considered a personal friendship with the older man. For one, he had simply been a new trainer from a small town he had just moved to, and Daigo was already a powerful and experienced trainer who probably had better and more important things to think about. He didn't exactly see how the question held any relevance.

"What do you think of him?"

The questions just got gradually stranger, didn't they? "I respect him. He's a nice person."

Roujin gave him a sceptical look, but lapsed off into silence as he fiddled with the remote control of the television. Just as Yuuki thought that the sailor had let the subject die, he spoke again, "Yuuki, you really need more friends."

"I have friends," he protested. "I have Zuzu, Nana, Coco and Popo."

"Friends that are not pokemon," the old man said flatly, "don't you have any human friends?" ('With normal names', he had almost added)

Yuuki snorted ungraciously, but resisted the urge to laugh, "then what are you, Roujin, a fossil?"

The sailor ignored the wise-crack and continued, "people around your age."

He only had to think for a moment. "Haruka," he announced triumphantly.

"Oh, really," Roujin's voice just bordered on the edge of dry sarcasm, "when was the last time that you saw her, talked to her, even."

Yuuki had no reply. Try as he did, he could not recall the last time that he had met up with his childhood friend. She had been busy with her own training, and he had been holed up at the Lilycove contest hall. The two of them had entirely separate dreams and goals, and travelling together would not have been a conducive experience for either of their pokemon - or either of them. But friends were friends, weren't they? He still had her number in his PokeNav anyhow, what difference did it make?

As the young trainer mused over his revelation, Roujin continued to speak, though he had changed the subject after the old man had witnessed the slightly troubled look on Yuuki's face. "I'm not planning to stay here for very long. Just this one night, so that I won't have to sail through the night, and then I think I'll head back to Petalburg. I'm pretty sure you're not going to follow, and I won't let you follow anyway, especially since we went through all this trouble to get you to Mossdeep. So what are your plans?"

Yuuki felt his stomach speak, and a quick glance at a clock told him that it was half past noon. "For now? I think lunch is in order." With an amused glance at Roujin, he added, "something wrong with you, old man? You haven't said anything about having lunch since we arrived. Isn't food your first concern when you see land, or is your appetite falling like your hair?"

"I _have_ no hair," the sailor retorted, but pushed himself up from the couch. "So, what's good to eat around here?" Hobbling over to Yuuki and smacking him on the head with great aplomb, "I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."

---

His endeavour at sleeping was not progressing well at all. Roujin's snores were mocking his pitiful attempts from the other room, and he shifted, turning onto his side so that he faced the other man. In the shroud of darkness, he could not tell if the grey-haired trainer was awake or not, but no sound was to be heard. Pulling the covers up higher, Yuuki was glad that Daigo had a spare futon, saving them from the awkward question of 'who sleeps on the floor?'. But the older trainer had mentioned that he sometimes had to share the room with Mikuri, and Mikuri was definitely not the sort of person who'd have consented to sleeping on the floor or let Daigo himself sleep on the floor. Yuuki could even imagine the champion complaining that sleeping on the floor was 'not graceful' and would ruin his bones, or something or the other. He had to bite his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing, since he did not wish to disturb the other occupant of the room.

-Who was, in fact, not asleep either. Yuuki's train of thought was, fortunately, derailed when he heard Daigo speak. "Can't sleep?"

"Not all that tired," he replied tersely, "I haven't really done anything all day."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," and for a moment, silence prevailed.

"Are you still awake?" The ex-champion asked, speaking first.

"Pretty much so." Outside the window, the clouds cleared and freed the moonlight from its grasp, allowing it to spill into the room. Yuuki saw that Daigo was lying on his back, staring straight ahead at the ceiling. The older trainer's metal-grey hair still stuck out, presumably messed up from his shower. The presence of moonlight gave Yuuki something to focus on, and made the sleepless night less dreary. He could practically hear the sound of the other man inhaling and exhaling. He sneaked another look at the older man - Daigo wasn't half-bad looking anyway.

"Just now, on the boat?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know you wore spectacles." At that, Yuuki blushed slightly (and cursed mentally), glad that it wasn't his face that was illuminated in the dark. Daigo had turned his head slightly, and was looking at the nineteen-year-old with a bemused smile on his face.

Resolving to hide his spectacles somewhere where no one could find them, "I don't usually wear them, except when I'm reading." With pain in his voice, derived from his embarrassment of having been seen wearing his spectacles, "please don't mention this to anyone. I'll get laughed at."

"Laughed at?"

He sighed, "you've seen my spectacles, they're ugly."

"They're not ugly. They look normal." Daigo sounded slightly confused by Yuuki's attitude towards his spectacles.

"They're ugly," the younger trainer said conclusively, not caring to elaborate or explain. Instead, he opted to change the subject. Daigo didn't look any closer to sleep than he was, and talking was a good way to pass the time. If it did not help him sleep, it was still better than staring meaninglessly at the ceiling thinking about inane things. "If you haven't got anything scheduled for the next few months, then what will you be doing?" He was a little surprised by the topic that he had chosen, but was a tad curious about the other man's plans.

"I'm taking a break from my usual work. Maybe I'll stay in Mossdeep and lead a normal person's life for a few months, or maybe I'll go up to the space centre to help out. I don't really know," Daigo answered after a moment of thought and, even though he didn't, Yuuki got the impression that he would have shrugged if he wasn't lying down.

"Is that so?"

"What about you?"

Yuuki chewed his lip, unsure of whether he should answer the question. Daigo had answered his, so it would have been impolite to remain silent. Yet he was still somehow hesitant about revealing his non-existent plans. Eventually, he settled on a short answer, "I'm travelling around, but for now I haven't yet decided on a destination."

"Johto's just across the ocean from here, isn't it?" Daigo said.

"Yes, I'd supposed so." Yuuki would know, he had used to live in Johto before his father had pulled them all to Hoenn against his will. Hoenn was just south-west of Johto, and if he knew his Hoenn geography, it meant the Mossdeep was the closest city in the Hoenn region to the continent of Johto.

"Why not go there, then. Johto is quite a nice place," Yuuki didn't even need to look at Daigo to know that the other was most probably smiling. "But I suppose you should be the one telling me that and not the other way around."

Yuuki was partially startled by the suggestion, though he knew he should probably have seen it coming his way. The more he considered it, however, the more he felt like returning to Johto. He had not returned since the move, having familiarised himself with the place. Hoenn no long seemed like the far away land full of foreign people that he didn't know and he had found no reason to return to Johto in his previous travels. Returning to his previous activity of staring at the ceiling, he pondered the possibility of returning. The way would probably be pathed with swimmers and other trainers seeking a battle or just training, but he figured that if he glared at them enough they would eventually give up.

As he looked at Daigo, he realised that he would be travelling alone, since Roujin wanted to go back to his home in Petalburg. He wondered if the other man was partial to going with him to Johto. Daigo would probably make as good a travelling companion as anyone, considering the fact that he had already given up his title as the Hoenn League champion, and that he had just said that he was going to be conveniently free for the following few months. There was no way that he could put the question across, however, without it sounding awkward. Taking a deep breath, he finally asked, "Do you want to go? To Johto, that is."

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you wanted to come to Johto with me. I know that it's your break and everything, and I understand if you want to stay here in Mossdeep. But I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me," _since, you know, travelling by oneself is kind of lonely._ Yuuki felt somewhat embarrassed by his speech, it sounded kind of desperate in this roundabout sort of way. It sounded like something a girl would say.

The silence meant that Daigo was probably thinking it over, which was a good sign Yuuki supposed, since the other man had not rejected the idea immediately. He cracked his fingers, the only sound in the room other than their breathing, while he waited for a reply. Even though no one would have been able to get him to admit it later, he had hoped that Daigo would agree. Travelling alone was tiresome at times, and the company would certainly be useful if he had to get into a battle. A bonus would certainly come from Daigo's fame as the ex-champion of the Hoenn League. Above all, Yuuki would enjoy having someone to talk to, at least. There was only so much conversation one could carry with a pokemon after all.

"I'll go with you, if you'll have me. I have to admit that the prospect of having nothing to do in Mossdeep is quite daunting, and I'm not quite ready to return to work yet," he laughed, "forgive me if that sounds like a horribly pathetic excuse, but that's what the truth is."

Yuuki found the whole thing too conveniently coincidental. Within two days, he had managed to get his ass up and out of Mauville, travel to Slateport and then to Mossdeep, en route he met a man he had not seen for three years. Later, still in the same day, he managed somehow to land himself on a journey to Johto with said man. He would have laughed at how ridiculous it all probably sounded, had he been alone, but he didn't believe in coincidences. And yet, how else could he describe the events of the past two days? He wasn't going to object to Daigo going along, however, since he himself had been the one who had asked in the first place. Instead, he felt an odd sense of relief - at the very least, he wasn't as bored as he had been anymore.

Next door, oblivious to the events that had occurred in the adjoining room, Roujin snored on.

---

"You can come with us if you want," Yuuki offered, watching from the sand as Roujin checked his boat. Tsuwabuki had not joined them at the beach, since he had left the house early to go to the space centre, but he had already said his farewells. Yuuki climbed on the boat, going by the stairs instead of hurdling over the railings - the sand wasn't good for running. Roujin grunted in response as he tugged at his riggings, and shook his head.

"I'm too old to be running around with you young folks anymore. Send me something from Johto once in a while, and I'll be fine." He looked up at his younger friend, an inkling of concern - and something else - in his expression. "You take care of yourself okay, don't go flinging yourself off a cliff or the like," he said gruffly. His age, and his creaky bones, was not the only reason for his refusal to go along. From what the younger man had told him, he had wanted to get out of his house in Mauville to get some adventure. If Roujin tagged along, the trainer wouldn't get anything done at all.

Of course, he wanted to go! And he would have gone, if he could have. In his younger days, he had been a famous sailor known all around the region. Adventure had practically been his middle name! That had been years and years ago, and even though he was still an able sailor, he couldn't walk in grasslands and travel in rough terrain like he had been able to. Tsuwabuki Daigo would make a much better travel partner than he would. Yuuki needed more friends, and if he had asked Tsuwabuki out of his own initiative, then there was obviously something that the younger trainer saw in the other man that made him a worthwhile companion. From the day that Roujin had met Yuuki, he had been distant and kept to himself most of the time. Only after when Yuuki found out that they shared a similar sense humour, and dislike for Yuuki's father, did he begin to warm up to the old man.

Finally satisfied that his rigging was properly in place, and that Piko-chan had not got himself lost in Mossdeep, Roujin turned to his younger friend. Clasping his hands behind his back, he gave Yuuki a serious look. "Go have fun in Johto, make a few friends or something. If you don't, I'll beat you up myself." There was a glint of something in his expression, and Yuuki almost took a step back in fear. "Or worse, I'll call your mother." Roujin laughed evilly, and patted the other trainer on the back. "Move along boy, I've to get going now. Can't return with a stowaway on my boat, can I?"

Smiling at Roujin, Yuuki hopped off the boat onto the sand (feeling a little irked as the water splooshed on his shoes) and waved. "If I know you old man, and I do, I bet all you want is the Okonomiyaki from Johto," he laughed. "Thanks for taking my bike back for me!"

"No problem, boy, I'll just chuck it overboard when I get out of sight!" Roujin called back, even as the waves took him further and further away from Mossdeep city.

"Don't you dare!" Yuuki shouted and waved a fist at him, though Roujin could tell that he was laughing.

Roujin angled his boat towards Sootopolis and Pacifidlog, and allow the winds and the current to push the boat forward at a leisurely pace. He felt the tugging of regret of not being able to accompany Yuuki on his journey to Johto. Yuuki would probably have lots and lots of fun travelling in Johto, while he would return to his sea-side home in Petalburg and bear with all the screaming and laughing of the dratted people who loved to play outside his house. It was not a good trade-off. It would have been such fun to see Yuuki, who would normally shriek at the sight of dirt and muck on his clothes and his pokemon, wading through grass and dirt out of his own accord. Imagine! A dirty Yuuki - and he wouldn't be there to laugh at the boy.

Life sucked.

---

"When do you want to leave?" Daigo asked, his fork chasing an ever elusive pea around the plate. Dinner that night had been simple, though a luxury compared to what he had got used to while camping in caves. Rice, vegetables and some fish, not mush and canned food. The most surprising thing, however, still remained the fact that the meal had been cooked in his kitchen and with food from his pantry (of course, recently restocked).

Earlier in the day, he had returned to his home after overseeing the separation of aluminium metal from bauxite. It had been tiring and undeniably hot work (despite the use of cryolite), and he was feeling a tad grumpy from not having been fed the entire day. For an institution with such a huge budget, he did not see how they saw fit _not_ to feed their employees (and other recruited slaves such as himself) properly. Daigo had just been about to resign himself to eating out somewhere like he always did, even when he was at home in Mossdeep, when Yuuki's Delcatty had pawed at his shoe and caught his attention.

Coco had not looked particularly urgent, and was circling Daigo's foot as had become his past-time within the past few days. The Delcatty, which evolution had come about by his hands, then stood on his hindpaws and pushed at Daigo's leg, nudging him in the direction of his house. Puzzled, he had followed the pokemon, which turned back every so often to check that he was still indeed behind. He had walked silently, savouring the evening winds, although his curiosity continued to build as they made their way to his house.

The Delcatty broke into a run, attacking a figure at his doorstep. The person petted the purring pokemon on his head before shooing it back inside the house and straightening up. Even in the dim light, Daigo could easily identify Yuuki's tell-tale outline. Approaching his house at a leisurely pace, he wondered why it did not feel strange to return to a house that had it's lights on and noise emitting from inside the four walls, instead of one that was perpetually dark. He could not prevent a smile from touching his lips as he caught Yuuki waving at him.

"What took you so long?" The other man had asked, stepping aside and letting Daigo enter the house. "I was beginning to think that Coco got lost or distracted."

"My apologies, there were things that I had to do at the space centre," he had told Yuuki as he shook off his black jacket and hung it over the sofa back. "Have you eaten?" The metal specialist looked at his friend who had obviously just taken a shower, since he had a towel slung over his shoulders and his curious hat was no where to be seen.

"Nope," Yuuki had replied in a cheery tone, "I was waiting for you. Zuzu and the others have already eaten, but I figured that you probably haven't had anything to eat." The trainer disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before re-appearing, this time armed with two plates and utensils. Daigo looked at the food with faint incredulity.

"You made that yourself?" He had asked, feeling somewhat shocked. Yuuki had only nodded in response, setting the plate down in front of him and smiled slightly.

"It shouldn't surprise you that I cook, you know. What, or did you think that I subsisted off raw vegetables and earthworms?" He had said, quirking an eyebrow at the older man.

Now he felt vague contentment after finishing the meal, having finally managed to pitchfork the run-away pea. Stretching his legs ever so slightly, he waited for Yuuki's answer. The sofa, which he had picked up somewhere many years back, provided much enjoyed relief for his back. Bending over small pieces of bauxite for several hours had set his shoulders awash with various aches and pains which he would have to bear until he got his shower.

"Not in any hurry, now that I've found this wonderful diving spot just off Mossdeep's coast. I've been picking up lots and lots of stuff around the area, crystals and shards -the like." Yuuki answered. "You still have whatever work you have left, so we don't have to leave immediately. The scientists will howl for my blood if we left now." The younger man stood up and moved to pick up Daigo's now empty plate.

"I'll wash the dishes, since you cooked." Daigo offered, and took the plates off Yuuki's hands, standing up himself. It was his house, after all, and what sort of host would he be if he let a guest do all the work?

Yuuki gave him a thankful smile. "You might want to use the left tap. The right one is a little wonky," he said, in a show of domesticity.

Daigo paused, before laughing. "This is disturbing, Yuuki. I've lived here for close to ten years now, but you know my kitchen better than I do." Yuuki smirked at him as he poured himself a cup of water from a pitcher Daigo hadn't known that he owned.

---

Yuuki held his breath as Zuzu dove under the water, clinging onto the pokemon as they travelled further and further downward. He had discovered the new diving spot only a few days back and frequented it everyday. While Daigo had his work at the space centre (his break, he claimed!), Yuuki amused himself by exploring the waters that surrounded the city. The deeps waters had yielded many spoils and Yuuki often found silvery objects glinting at him from behind rocks. The Chinchou that resided in the underwater vegetation acted like light bulbs for him, their flashing lights convenient position markers. He had, however, also had his share of misadventures, including almost getting his hand eaten by a Clampearl.

He had gone for the waters earlier than usual, leaving the house even before Daigo himself did. On the way to the spot, he had exchanged greetings with the trainer who never seemed to sleep. The fighting-type user had already been training in the water with his pokemon, still adamant on beating the gym leaders even though they had a type disadvantage. Swimming out to the patch of deep water, he clung onto the pokemon's mid-section before nodding to Zuzu.

The underwater reeds parted readily as the pokemon propelled itself through them, bringing Yuuki to his newly-discovered sanctuary. The entrance to the grotto was partially hidden behind a dense crop of vegetation, and Yuuki suspected that that was the reason why the walls of the cave looked untouched by human hands. It was certainly bigger than he had expected, extending a good four metres inward to meet a slab and an air pocket.

He surfaced, careful not to bang his head on the low ceiling, subconsciously running his fingers along the smooth walls. Reaching into his pocket for the tiny flashlight sealed in a water-tight plastic bag, he drew it out and flicked the switch. When he had found the grotto a day before, the lack of light had inhibited his exploration and he had ensured that upon his return he would be prepared. As the dim light came on, he began his examination of the walls.

After an hour or so, he had found nothing interesting except a small unnatural indent about the size of his palm. It was under the water and he had only found it by accident, having located it by getting his foot stuck in it. Yuuki inhaled, before diving under the water, intent on examining the dent in hopes of finding something interesting. He shone his flashlight at the hole, and was greatly surprised to find pick marks around the opening. That meant that the hole was man-made, or made by a pick wielding pokemon, of which the former seemed more plausible.

Looking closer, he noticed a small carving on the inside of the dent which was too far in for him to read. Curiousity got the better of him, and he resurfaced briefly for air before diving back under the water. Once at the level of the hole, he cautiously stuck his hand in, fingers groping for the mark. Running his fingertips over the carvings repeatedly, Yuuki mentally re-constructed the images that he felt. As he got the last bit down, he withdrew his hand in such a speed - a result of his deep surprise - that he scraped it against the upper surface of the dent. He winced, but ignored the pain he felt, as he considered the irony displayed before him.

The katakana characters read: 'Tsu-wa-bu-ki Da-i-go'.

'Bloody hell.'

---

"No wonder you come home smelling like a fried circuit board everyday," Yuuki remarked disdainfully as he leaned on the railing of the walkway that overlooked the tank. His shoes made a grinding sound as they scrapped against the metal patterns of the walkway flooring. The hot air that rose from the area below rushed past his face, an odd sensation of hot and cool at the same time. The air brought along with it a curious smell that was being emitted from the tanks below, and he wrinkled his nose in distaste. After witnessing what the other had been doing for the past week, he made a mental note to ensure that Daigo stayed in the shower long enough for any residue to wash off. Who knew if the fumes were toxic or not?

"Come away from there," Daigo said, pulling him away from the railing by the arm. "It won't do you any good to stay here too long if you're not used to it." Yuuki gladly obliged, and the metal specialist led him out the same way that they had entered the walkway. A scientist rushed past them, ever-present clipboard in hand, only slowing down to greet Daigo. Yuuki hid a chuckle, he had noticed that the other trainer was well-respected and something of a celebrity amongst the scientists even though he was not one of them himself.

"You've been watching this for all this time?" He asked, a tinge of incredulity lacing his words. If he understood all the mechanics and logistics right, it was hardly a wonder that Daigo returned to the house stressed and tired. Even with the hoards of scientists working with him, Daigo was the only person who could so quickly ascertain that the product had the correct elemental composition and had turned out the way they had wanted. It was hardly anything as straightforward (comparatively) as just the extraction of pure aluminium from bauxite, since the scientists were trying to make some sort of metal alloy ('2014', '2219' and '2618', Daigo had explained, but the series of numbers made little sense and had little meaning to Yuuki) for use in the space centre. When asked why they did not simply purchase the metal alloys from industrial companies, Daigo had only shrugged and the question went unanswered.

Daigo shook his head in response. "Not all the time. There are other things that I have to do as well," the old man said as he expertly tapped at a few buttons of a computer keyboard they passed. At the same time, he quickly skimmed through a piece of paper that someone had passed to him, pursing his lips as if in deep thought. Yuuki peered at the wealth of computers that surrounded them, each with a person typing away frantically on the attached keyboard. The complicated matrix of symbols that flashed rapidly across the monitors were almost like strobe lights, and might has well have been in Russian - Yuuki did not understand a word of it. He shuddered and looked away, the genius that surrounded him was almost suffocating.

He glanced at Daigo, who was still pouring over the same piece of paper, eyes seeming to scrutinise every printed letter and numerical value. "I thought that you said this was your break?" He accused, unconsciously shifting slightly to his left to allow yet another frazzled and hurried scientist squeeze through the passageway.

"I _am _on break," Daigo stressed, but the effect was lost since his eyes remained fixed on the paper that he held. "This isn't my real job, if you remember. These people can do without my help, but my presence here helps to speed things up since I have a hoard of Beldum at my disposal." He continued, finally raising his gaze to meet Yuuki's. "I hope you don't mind?"

"Even if I did, I'm in no position to object any," Yuuki answered drily, folding his arms and leaning on a convenient table behind him. "Except, if I'm going to be sleeping in the same house as you are, you had better make sure that you wash yourself and your clothing properly," he said in complete seriousness. (Dirt was a pet-peeve of his - he did not like dirt.) Then, as an afterthought, he added, "or I'll do it for you."

---

"Do you need a few more days to get your things in order, or will you be ready to travel today?" Yuuki asked, quietly, approaching Daigo from behind. The metal specialist had been sitting alone, with his legs dangling off the edge, at the short cliff that was but a few hundred metres from his house and watching the occasional Wailmer. He had risen at sunrise, as he always did, and left his house feeling rather lost. It wasn't often that he found himself with nothing planned and not rushing to fit at much work into the time he spent awake.

Rubbing his arm idly, he went through a mental check list of the things he had to do before he could leave. One of the scientists at the space centre had previously put in a request for him to help them fix a minor weakness in their metal scaffolding, since he had made himself available by returning to Mossdeep. It was the last of the metal works that required his help. The metal slabs to be used for the new machinery was already grafted and stacked in a containment area in the space centre. Even though it had taken him and the few scientists working with him a whole of three weeks to purify and cut the metal, it was finally done and all he had left were the repairs that the centre always seemed to need. Then... Fuu and Ran had demanded a last visit before he left since they claimed not to know when he would next pass through Mossdeep, and would probably pull a guilt trip on him if he didn't fulfil his promise of a training match.

Aside from that, however, he could not recall anything that required his immediate attention. Daigo didn't particularly imagine that fixing a chunk of metal and having a training match with Mossdeep's two notorious gym leaders would take more than a few hours. All he had to do at the space centre was to locate the fault and suggest a solution, the scientists and the Beldums that he had left at the centre would finish the reparations without him actually having to be there. His visit to Fuu and Ran would probably take a good while longer, since they would also insist on him staying for tea, or the like.

In fact, the twins would probably like having Yuuki along. Even if they didn't actually remember the boy, since he had challenged their gym a goodly few years back, but they appreciated seeing trainers who had earned their mindbadge returning to their gym. Fuu had once told him that they didn't like being thought of as just an obstacle that budding trainers had to overcome before they could participate in the Hoenn League championships, but would prefer their gym being seen as a place of learning. After all, Ran had explained, that was the reason why most Gym leaders specialised in one type of pokemon - to teach challengers and gym trainers alike about a particular type. Daigo had just smiled and nodded. Ran would have hit him if he dared say otherwise.

"I'm due to fix something in the space centre, and I'm only supposed to be there at ten later today. Then I have to visit Fuu and Ran for a while, you should come with me for that. Fuu and Ran will be glad to see you." He replied brusquely, looking up at the trainer standing behind him. He almost laughed, since Yuuki had on his face the sort of look one usually has upon waking up and realising that it's only seven in the morning but can't return to sleep. The other man's hair was sticking out in a way that suggested that he hadn't been at his gel yet, and he still looked somewhat dishevelled.

Daigo could not say for certain that what he had said had got into Yuuki's head fully, since all the other did was to nod absently in response. "I suppose we can leave today, but we'll probably be leaving sometime in the late afternoon if that's the case." Daigo said thoughtfully, and was replied with another vague nod. "Unless you prefer to leave in the morning, of course, then we'd have to leave tomorrow."

Yuuki, apparently, wasn't as asleep as he looked, since he responded almost immediately. "No, not tomorrow. It's going to rain most of tomorrow, and I have no desire to return to Johto soaking wet and sniffling at everyone," he said wryly, though he did not explain how he knew the weather forecast. He looked down at Daigo, and continued. "It would be best if we left today, I think." Yuuki squinted at the sky thoughtfully, "if you don't want to, though, then we'll have to put off leaving for another few days."

Daigo nodded in understanding, and got up swiftly, brushing the dirt off his black pants carefully, even though it would not have been visible either way. "I guess I had better get to the space centre now then. Even if they're not exactly open, there's bound to be some scientist or the other who pulled an all-nighter who's willing to let me in. The faster I get this problem of theirs fixed, the faster we can go see Fuu and Ran." He nodded once more, this time in greeting, and made off towards the space centre. It was a good twenty minutes or so of walking, and he wanted to take a round trip to visit the white stone like he did everyday.

Leaving Yuuki standing at the cliff, he was almost at the main pathway when he heard Yuuki speak. "You're wearing a white jacket today." When Daigo looked back, the younger man was not longer staring at the ocean (and presumably in the general direction of Johto) but was now looked directly at him. The statement was completely random - and what was wrong with him wearing a white jacket?

Yuuki moved closer and, with a completely straight face and looking as if he was talking about something with earth-shaking importance, said, "I had always been under the impression that you only wore black and grey." Then, laughing, the other man pulled a face, waved and disappeared into Daigo's house as if he actually lived there.

Daigo's only thought as he continued on his way to the looming space centre was filled with amusement - the jacket that he had donned that morning was the only white jacket that he possessed.

---

"Welcome-"

"-to our gym."

"We see that-"

"-you brought a friend."

"You two haven't grown out of that yet, have you?" Daigo said with great amusement. He stepped into the room, placing his shoes neatly by the door. Ran bowed formally, while Fuu gave him a wide grin (and was rewarded by a smack to the head) before bowing as well. Both of the twins had grown taller, much taller, though Fuu was obviously the taller of the two. In fact, Ran was almost his height while Fuu topped him by several centimetres. "Well, I haven't seen the either of you two around in the space centre. I'm sorry I pushed the visit back so late."

"It is alright-"

"-we were busy in the gym anyway."

"So much so that we haven't-"

"-left the gym in the past few weeks."

"There has been an influx of challengers lately, and some of our gym trainers have requested for extra training." Ran finished, smiling slightly as she set down the tea cups in front of each of the four seated at the square table, including herself. Daigo looked up, when she spoke, and beside him Yuuki paused in the midst of picking his cup up.

"Does it surprise you that we can speak in complete sentences?" Fuu asked, a mischievous smile developing (diabolically) on his face.

"We're not always around to finish each other's sentences. We just do it for fun and practice, mostly. Sometimes Fuu has to go away somewhere with our father, so I have to stay here and operate the gym by myself," Ran said, taking a sip of her warm tea.

"And Ran travels as well, she mostly visits Tsutsuji, Asuna and Nagi. They're all on the wrong side of the region, so she's usually gone for several weeks at a time," Fuu laughed and shot his sister a look, "now she's acting all girly and everything. You won't believe how long she takes to shower in the mornings." He expertly dodged a smack to the back, but could not escape from his sister's slap to his wrist. Nursing an abused wrist, he laughed again and amended his words, "of course, when she's angry it's something else altogether."

Ran ignored her brother, and continued to sip her tea in a pseudo-dignified manner. "So, what can we do for you, Daigo? Or is this just the social call you owe us?"

"You wanted a rematch from last time, and I'm leaving Mossdeep again later today. I supposed that you'd want to battle now, since I don't know when I'm going to be back here in Mossdeep again."

"Will Yuuki double battle with you, or will you battle by yourself?" Fuu asked curiously.

Yuuki looked at the boy sharply, "how did you know my name?"

"We remember the names of everyone who has won our mindbadge-"

"-and we're psychics, if you remember."

"Then shouldn't you know the answer to the question that you asked me?" Daigo asked, smiling.

Fuu laughed, "we can't read the future. You hadn't made the choice yet."

"I'll battle alone," he grinned, "one's good enough to beat the both of you." Pre-match tauting, the classic pokemon trainer's move. Fuu just stuck his tongue out in response, despite being a full-grown teenager, and Yuuki and Ran both laughed.

"No need for that. I'll make an exception this time." Yuuki spoke up. Something about double battling intrigued him. The last time that he had double battled had been together with Daigo as well, in the space centre against team magma. The dynamics of having a partner on the battle arena were interesting, and he would consent to a one-off battle. The metal specialist looked at him, an unreadable look plastered on his face, but Yuuki caught a hint of approval floating somewhere.

"Would you like to have it in the zero-gravity arena? We're fine with both." Ran spoke seriously. It was not difficult for Daigo to tell that she had not lost any of her passion for battling over the years, if anything, she seemed more focused and determined than she had previously been. Fuu still sported a relaxed look on his face, though there was visible tightening around the lips.

Daigo looked at Yuuki, who shrugged nonchalantly, signalling that he too was indifferent to the choice of arena physics. "The zero-gravity arena would be a nice challenge. I'll admit that the both of us are a little out of practice, but that doesn't mean that we'll prove any less a challenge than you deserve."

---

As Fuu and Ran's Solrock and Lunatone returned to their respective pokeballs as a result of a final, decisive, surf attack from Swampert, Ran smiled despite their loss - their third to Daigo and their second to Yuuki. "I don't know whether to be glad or disappointed that we weren't the gym leaders of Mossdeep when you and Mikuri were still working your way up the Hoenn league ladder. But, nevertheless, congratulations to the both of you." She looked at her younger brother, the easy smile back on his face once more, even though she knew that he was equally disappointed by the loss. _We'll train harder, Fuu._

_Yes, definitely._ "I apologise for having no spoils of war to award, since the both of you already possess the Mossdeep badge. So more tea will have to do," his eyes took on a more determined look, "and the promise that we'll work harder to beat the both of you." He released the catch of the foot-holds that kept him locked to the trainer's platform and pushed himself up into the air. Ran joined him a moment later, stepping on his head and messing up his hair. It _couldn't_ have been by accident, as the both of them had been training under the zero-gravity conditions for more than half a decade and had already got used to the different physics that it operated under. He glared at his older sister, but said no more as Daigo and Yuuki floated over.

There was something about the way that Daigo and Yuuki battled that he couldn't quite put a name to. It didn't quite seem possible that they had only just met (re-met, rather) a few weeks before, judging by the ease at which they double battled. Yet neither Fuu nor Ran had doubted the truth in their admission. There were weaknesses in their double battling technique, most certainly, even though Yuuki had made up for that by gaining a type advantage in using his Mightyena. But to think that the two had managed to defeat the seventeen year combination that the two of them had managed to practice and perfect over the years they trained together and as the admired gym leaders of Mossdeep.

Given, one was the ex-champion of the Hoenn league and the other, even though he had no title -major or minor- to his name, was an excellent battler in his own right. Fuu admitted to being slightly curious as to the reason behind Yuuki's seeming dislike for battling. The man's high-levelled pokemon could not have just walked out of a fog and into his pokeballs. The skill which he commanded his Swampert, coupled with the faith in execution, revealed a close relationship that would have taken years to build. Furthermore, the trainer had held no such reservations the last time that they had battled. And if the trainer had battled previously, as he had when he had last challenged their gym, then why had he stopped? _Why our praised champion stopped, is also another question which I would very much like to pose._

_You and I both, little brother._ Ran extended a hand, offering it first to Daigo. Shaking his hand, she pursed her lips in thought. Her brother had been only too right in his observations. What she saw in Yuuki's battling did not interest her, however. His business was purely his own, pokemon were not tools for battle, in the very end and if the other did not wish to use them for self-betterment, it was his one choice. What caught her attention was Fuu's first observation. She had noticed something there, as well, even when they had been seated around the table. She would not be hasty in her judgement, but she saw something that was not quite there and at the same time present. Just like the something she had seen when she had first laid eyes on Nagi and Mikuri. _There's something there._

_I know, Ran._ They shared a silent glance as they shook hands with the other pair. _I know._

---

"If we're going to be travelling together, then I suppose we'll have to do this properly." His sense of propriety would get him laughed at one day, but he still felt obliged to do it. "We haven't actually introduced ourselves before, have we?"

Yuuki thought about it for a moment, before answering, "No, I believe we haven't." The look on his face was evidence that he found that fact rather surprising as well. Daigo himself had not realised it until just a few hours before.

"Well then," Daigo offered Yuuki his right hand, in a distinctly modern way of greeting, "I'm Daigo, nice to meet you."

Yuuki gripped it, and his smooth palm felt strange in Daigo's callused ones, "and I'm Yuuki." He grinned, "this probably sounds quite stupid, don't you think? Especially since I've been living in the same house as you have for the past three weeks."

Daigo returned the grin with a laugh, before speaking. "Now that we've cleared that, shall we go? Johto is a ways off, and I'd rather not get lost during the night looking for a town." Releasing Metagross out from his pokeball, Daigo winced as he immediately felt himself being dragged towards the pokemon. The metal bands in his shoes and on his shirt sleeves were being attracted by the strong magnetic flied that Metagross was letting out, pulling him towards the magnetic pokemon. It was a slight inconvenience that he had to combat every time he summoned the pokemon. He had to admit, however, that it had been quite hilarious the first and last time he had left Metagross out in the space centre - half the scientists had lost their clipboards, and a few of the computers in their vicinity malfunctioned in the middle of programming. To think that the reason why he had chosen to specialise in steel pokemon was because steel was one of the more ferromagnetic metals and didn't rust as readily as pure iron did. Some of the rare iron-coated Aron that he had found in the wild had pretty serious rust cases on their armour due to the humidity caused by the water sources. Metagross's armour was a natural form of the man-made stainless steel, as were the coats of most other steel-type pokemon.

Mounting Metagross, he pulled his legs under him, careful to sit in the exact centre of the pokemon where the field lines would cancel out. The last time he had allowed himself to simply sling his legs over the pokemon, he had been dealt a painful (and somewhat humorous) reminder of why he always sat properly when on the Metagross. Instead of floating a few millimetres above the metal coat of his pokemon like he was supposed to, he had been repelled by the magnetic fields and flung clean off into a lake. Mikuri had been there to pull him out of the water with grand flair - sparkles and fanfare, and, of course, to laugh at him.

As they set off toward the continent of Johto, Daigo floating comfortably above his Metagross while Yuuki sat astride his Swampert, the sun began its halting fall from the sky. It would have been slightly too much to say that the 'sky was bathed in oranges and pinks and purples and sunk in a hue of shroud whilst the sun continued its stately march towards another part of the world', but yes, the sun did set and the sky approached darkness for the coming of dusk. When they reached the edges of the landmass that contained Cainwood city, a dusty beach that was cluttered with broken shells and spotted with rocks, Daigo stepped onto the soft sand with much difficultly. His legs felt numb from the long journey that had been filled with pensive thought, and Metagross's magnetic field was making things all the more difficult for the weary man.

Along the way, they had managed to avoid most of the trainers by sheer luck since there had been a heated battle well under way somewhere off the route they took, identified by the cluster of swimmers jostling for a better view. Yuuki had surfed by without so much a cursory glance or a comment, and Daigo had followed. Sea battles always tended to get the spectators wet in some way or another and he very much preferred to take his showers by himself, thank you very much. The waters three quarters of the way there were relatively rough, and they had to detour, but it was not too much of an inconvenience and all they lost was a little time.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Cianwood city, the sun had set fully, but the marvellous lights and billboard displays of the city provided an unmissable beacon for the two of them.


End file.
